One of the most enjoyable aspects of my role as a Member of Parliament is the opportunity to visit schools in my constituency.
We have brilliant local schools across Dulwich and West Norwood and it is always inspiring to see how hard the teachers and support staff work to provide the best possible education for every child, and to hear from pupils about the topics that interest them and the things that make a difference to their learning.
Too many pupils however arrive at school hungry in the morning which means that they are not ready to learn and to make the most of the school day.
Breakfast clubs in primary schools are one solution to this problem, providing the opportunity for children to eat a healthy meal at the start of the school day, play with their friends and sometimes catch up on their learning too. We have breakfast clubs in some schools already, but sometimes there is a cost to parents which can be prohibitive.
This is one of the reasons I was so glad that the Labour Party’s manifesto included a commitment to roll out fully funded breakfast clubs in every single primary school across the country. This commitment will ensure that no child has to start the school day hungry, while also providing much-needed childcare to parents at the start of the working day.
The government has already announced an early adopter programme for the first 750 breakfast clubs, inviting schools to work with the Department for Education to ensure that breakfast clubs build on what is already happening in schools, meet the needs of parents and ensure that every child starts the school day ready to learn.
The first breakfast clubs under this programme will be up and running for the summer term next year.
For the past 14 years, there have been far too many pressures on family life and children and young people have been bearing the brunt of this. Breakfast clubs will deliver for children and their families, making sure every school day gets off to the best possible start, and I look forward to seeing how this new programme delivers.
